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King mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum61
- Atlantic croaker60
- Common snook60
- Southern flounder57
- Atlantic tarpon54
- Gray snapper53
- Crevalle jack50
- Gag grouper50
- Spanish mackerel49
- Permit48
- Black drum47
- Gray triggerfish47
- Red grouper47
- Red snapper47
- Cobia45
- Florida pompano45
- King mackerel45
- Spotted seatrout45
- Greater amberjack41
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 8 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 455 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hamsen Bayou scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 5 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
45Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 3 kt SEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
52Water temp: 88°F, hotLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.6 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
54Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
King mackerel
Retention open- Daily limit
- 3 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 24 in, fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Hook and line and spearing only. Open year-round.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: King Mackerel, read Sep 13
Other species here
- Atlantic croaker Retention open
- Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
- Bluefish Retention open (10 per day)
- Bonefish Catch & release (No retention)
- Cobia Retention open (1 per day)
- Crevalle jack Retention open
- Florida pompano Retention open (6 per day)
- Gag grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
- Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
- Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
- Mahi-mahi Retention open (10 per day)
- Permit Retention open (2 per day)
- Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
- Red grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
- Red snapper Retention open (2 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
- Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
- Snook Retention open (1 per day)
- Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
- Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When King mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Hamsen Bayou
- Depth
- 1-15 ftSlope
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonKing mackerel
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Hamsen Bayou
Hamsen Bayou is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 1-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and common snook. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker, common snook and gray snapper, and shoulder season for southern flounder, Atlantic tarpon, crevalle jack and gag grouper. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- King mackerel
- Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
- Red drum
- Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Big Sarasota Pass67
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 67
- Atlantic croaker 63
- Atlantic tarpon 63
3 kt SEH 11:01 PM · 1.7 ftL 3:44 AM · 1.2 ft
- Coconut Bayou61
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 61
- Atlantic croaker 60
- Common snook 60
3 kt SEH 11:01 PM · 1.7 ftL 3:44 AM · 1.2 ft
- South Coconut Bayou61
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 61
- Atlantic croaker 59
- Common snook 59
3 kt SEH 11:01 PM · 1.7 ftL 3:44 AM · 1.2 ft
- Fishery Point60
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 60
- Atlantic croaker 54
- Red drum 54
3 kt SEL 5:39 PM · 0.4 ftH 12:09 AM · 1.7 ft
Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with FWC before you keep a fish.